UNICEF RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL
Rights Respecting
School
We are proud to be a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We embed children’s rights into school life and ensure every child is respected, valued and has a voice.
Our Award Status →
What is a Rights Respecting School?
A Rights Respecting School puts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child at the heart of school life.
Learn
We teach children about their rights and the rights of others.
Listen
We ensure every child has a voice and is listened to.
Respect
We create a safe, inclusive school where everyone is respected.
Act
We take action to make the world a better place.
At Gordonbrock, we teach children that their rights are not something they have to earn or that can be taken away. They are inherent – meaning every child is born with them. They are unconditional – they apply regardless of who you are or where you come from. And they are universal – they belong to every child, everywhere. We also teach children about duty bearers: the adults, institutions and governments who have a responsibility to make sure those rights are upheld. In our school, that starts with us.
Our Award Status
We have been awarded Gold – Rights Respecting by UNICEF UK. This shows our commitment to putting children’s rights at the heart of everything we do.
Achieving Gold is not the end of our journey – it is a milestone we are proud of and determined to build on. We will continue to embed children’s rights across every aspect of school life, ensuring rights-respecting language, attitudes and relationships remain part of our everyday culture – not something we did to achieve Gold, but something we sustain because it is who we are as a school community.
How we embed rights in school
Rights in Learning
Children learn about their rights, across the curriculum.
Pupil Voice
Our School Council and class reps share ideas and help drive change.
School Ethos
Rights underpin our values, behaviour, relationships and wider school life.
Taking Action
We take action locally and globally to support children’s rights.
Meet Gordon
Gordon was proudly designed and named by our School Council, by pupils, for pupils. Gordon is here to help everyone learn about UNICEF’s Rights of the Child in a fun, friendly and easy-to-understand way. With Gordon by our side, we explore important ideas like the right to be safe, to learn, to be heard and to be treated fairly. Gordon reminds us that every child matters, every voice counts, and together we can look out for one another – just like a good mascot should.
Articles we focus on
We explore all 54 articles of the UNCRC. Here are some we focus on in our GB Weekly:
Thinking beyond our school gates
Being rights-respecting means understanding that rights matter everywhere – not just here. Our children learn to connect what happens in the wider world to specific articles from the CRC. Our Eco-Team links their environmental work to Article 24 – the right to a healthy environment – and recently worked towards their Green Flag award. We fundraise for causes that children themselves choose, and we use every opportunity to help children see themselves as global citizens who have both rights and responsibilities beyond Gordonbrock.
Resources & Downloads
Find out more about our work and how we promote the Rights of a Child.